Social Center Part 24 (The Art Work)

So look at the pictures then I will tell the stories:





These are the close ups from left to right on the building:


































































The school with the Social Center. (and a hint for what is coming towards the bottom of these photos)









































Continuing to the right:








































And as if what you just saw wasn't great here comes more GREATNESS. (still flowing left to right)
















The march left to right continues.











The slower march!





















And finally the AWESOMENESS of the entire piece and what I am sure will entertain every child attending.
























The Full March!!!









Joesph Mushipi did all of this work in basically 7 actual days of painting, he was down here for 9 total. He worked from sun up til sundown often eating his lunch on the Jojo tanks (the big green water tanks used as scaffolding). It is just awesome what he has done and the community here seems to be so surprised that such beautiful artwork is on the center. I have noticed in the last month 2 other places that have put up artwork making shacks (the US definition) look not like a shack. It is amazing what art does to a building and to people when they look at it. No one expected this kind of outcome from this project. And I am sure they had no idea what I was talking about when I said I wanted to put some art on the exterior of the Center. Now what Joseph did is beyond what I expected and the quality is outstanding. But how it makes the building look is exactly as I expected. It is now beyond just a Social Center. I hope it will be a place of pride for the community and that for the next few years the thousands of pre-schoolers that cycle through the school enjoy the art and maybe just maybe one of them will be inspired by this art to actually pick up a brush & do some art of their own. And if that happens then it was worth every cent, sweat and hard work put in it. And that is on top of the immediate effects the center has for the practical purposes.

And with Joseph's last paint stroke it completes the work on the actual building for 2011. The Swing sets are fixed (see the next post #25) & more trees & the grass cut around the building will be done before Christmas. But that is it for the first round of funding. And thanks to the generous PC Country Director, Steve Driehaus additional funds will allocated to the Social Center to finish the Ceilings & Floors, some more exterior ground work & have a Grand Opening/HIV Youth Event currently scheduled to happen on January 5th, (when my parents are in town).

That funding is in the process of being confirmed and will mean that this blog will continue in the new year. I hope you all enjoyed the process, so far. And see #25 for the final one of 2011.